Loom shuttle



Patented Sept. 3, 1946 7 TED STATES PATENT oFFrCE f LooM SHUTTLE JohnJ.-. Kaufmann Jn, Greenville, S. 0., assignor to ISteel HeddleManufacturing Company, I Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation ofPennsylvania Application J anuary13, 1944, Serial No. 518,038

. 4 Claims. I Y 1 My invention relates to shuttles for looms, and itrelates more particularly to the provision of improved means forautomatically threading the Weft in shuttles of the type in which theCfilling bobbin is changed from time to time to replenish the'supply ofweft.

The threading blocks originally used in automatically threading shuttlesfor ilooms were usually made of brass or other similar ductile mate-.rial. By reason of the ease with which such metal could be worked, notonly were the ordinary machining operations facilitated, but alsocertain portions could be readily :bent or formed, when desired, to therequired shapes for effecting the threading operations.

It has for some time been recognized that threading blocks made of roastiron have much better wearing characteristics than those made of brassor other relatively soft ductile materials, tending to longer life, andin fact enabling the threading blocks to be reused in new shuttle bodiesafter the wooden parts of the original shuttles have become worn ordamaged.

The principal obj ect of the present invention is to provide improvedthreading means for automatically threading shuttles, comprising athreading block, the main or body portion of which maybe readily cast,preferably of cast iron, and in which such finishing as required may bedone by machine operations of a simple anilin expensive character.

A further object of the invention is to provide a threading block .forloom shuttles in which the body portion is made of an integral casting,which may preferably be cast iron or the like, which is so shaped as to"operate .in an efficient and satisfactory manner.

.A further object of the invention 'is .to provide in a shuttle-of thecharacter aforesaid, a threading block which is so shaped that thefilling thread will be initially guided therethrough, to the properoperating location, in a smooth and easy manner, whereby breaking of thefilling 'on the transfer of the bobbins will be largely eliminated.

A further object of the invention is to provide athreading block with animproved form of tension device of the spring pressed plate type.

A further object of the invention is to provide, I in a loom-shuttle ofthe character aforesaid, .improved means for adjusting the pressure ofthe plates which are used for imparting the tension to the fillingthread, and for maintaining such radjustmentwhen oncelmade,notwithstanding the a 2 t shocksiand jars to which the shuttle parts aresubjectedin use.

The nature and characteristic features oflthe invention will 'be morereadily understood from the following description, taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawing forming part hereof, in which:

Figure 1 is a top or plan view .of the threading end portion of a loomshuttle embodying the main features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal central section thereof, looking in a directionopposite to that of Fig. 2

Fig. 4 is an outer end elevation of the threading block detached, andslightlyenlarged;

Fig. 5 .is a similar view in side elevationlof the threading block;

Fig. 6 is a similar view comprising an inner end elevation of thethreading block; and

Fig. '7 is a section taken on the .line 1--1- of Fig. 5, still furtherenlarged. l

Referring to the drawing, in the particular embodiment of the inventiontherein shown, the shuttle body this preferably made of wood, and hasthe usual bobbin chamber H in which the bobbin I2 is held by the usualmeans (not shown), whereby it may be readily discharged therefrom, and anew bobbinsubstituted therefor, as thefilling runs out from timeto'time. V

The shuttle body I0 is also provided with the tected by hardened steelpins M and 15, or the like, to take the wear caused by the run of thefilling. The pin M is mounted in the wooden portion of the shuttleoutwardly of the side delivery eye 13, while the pin I5 is carried Eb-ythe threading block l6, to be hereinafter described.

The threading block 16, comprising the principal novel element of thepresent invention,

comprises primarily a single integral casting,

threading block l6, said groove may be easily and conveniently cut inthe body portion l0 of the shuttle. The body portion of the threadingblock I6 is provided with a longitudinal channel 2-] through which thefilling thread passes to the side delivery eye l3 during the weavingoperation as said filling is laid into the cloth.

The threading block I6 is provided with a rearwardly and outwardlyextending integral horn position 22, which initially, in the roughcasting, is also integrally connected to a forwardly and outwardlyextending lug 23 which constitutes a continuation of one of the sidewall portions of the threading block Hi.

In the making of the threading block IS, the connection between thesetwo parts, to wit, the horn 22 and lug 23, is severed by a saw out,which thereby provides an entrance slot 24, having opposed parallelfaces for the filling thread, to pass therethrough during the threadingoperation. This slot is cut with the saw disposed at an angle to thelongitudinal aXis of the threading block Hi, and also inclined to thevertical, so that said slot 24 extends at a pronounced inclinationdownwardly and forwardly.

The projecting horn portion 22 is initially so shaped, as to provide atthe extreme rear thereof, a downwardly depending lip portion 25 whichassists in preventing the thread from becoming disengaged from thethreading block through swirling or looping.

Likewise, the forwardly and outwardly extending lug 23 is also providedwith a downwardly projecting lip portion 26 for a similar purpose.

By the foregoing arrangement there is provided a novel construction ofthe outer end of the threading block, in which the thread entrance slot24 is provided with opposed parallel faces of appreciable area, and theplanes of said faces are inclined not only to the longitudinal axis ofthe shuttle, but also inclined to the vertical. This arrangement notonly by itself, but particularly in conjunction with the downwardlyextending lip 25 on the end of the horn portion 22, as well as the lip26 carried by the forwardly and outwardly extending lug 23, will serveeffectively to prevent unthreading of the shuttle at this point duringthe operation of the loom.

Intermediate the ends of the threading block there is an auxiliary hornmember 2'! which extends rearwardly and outwardly into the threadchannel 2| being integrally formed on one side wall, and initiallyintegrally connected to the other side Wall, but being severed therefromby a saw out which thereby provides a thread entrance slot 28 at thispoint.

It should here be noted that the thread entrance slot 24 extends at apronounced inclination downwardly and forwardly, whereas the threadentrance slot 28 extends substantially parallel to thelongitudinal axisof the shuttle and vertically downward. It will therefore be seen thatthe thread entrance slots 24 and 28 are not only arranged with theplanes of their faces at different angles but the same are alsodefinitely out of alinement with each other and unthreading of theshuttle through overcasts or looping will be greatly minimized.

In the bottom of the thread channel 2| in the body portion of thethreading block |6 there are provided transversely extending hardenedsteel pins 29 and 30 which serve to take the wear from the run of thefilling thread in the bottom of the channel.

Disposed adjacent and beneath the rearwardly and outwardly disposed hornportion 22 is a downwardly inclined lug 3| which serves to guide thethread downwardly toward the delivery eye i3 after the same has passedthrough the thread entrance slot 24. The block is cut away at the lowerend of the aforesaid guide portion to provide a transverse channelthrough which the thread passes when the shuttle has been fullythreaded.

Adjacent the cutaway portion where the thread passes from thelongitudinal channel 2| in the threading block iii to the aforesaidtransverse channel there is mounted a hardened steel pin 32, extendingupwardly at a slight angle to the vertical, and around which the fillingthread turns to pass to the delivery eye. At the outer end of thetransverse channel the pin I5 is located.

which pin serves to minimize wear at the point where the filling threadpasses out through the side delivery eye.

The threading block H5 is preferably provided at its inner end withspring pressed tension plates 35, the lower ends of which are perforatedfor the passing therethrough of a guide pin 36 which is mounted in thelower inner end of the threading block IS. The upper ends of the tensionplates or pads 35 are bent over in the usual manner as at 31, and areguided in transverse apertures 38 provided in the upper part of thethreading block.

Hollow screws 39 are threaded in the side walls I of the threading blockl6, and in each of these hollow screws 39 there is mounted one end of acoil spring 40, the other end of which bears against one of the tensionplates 35 at a point intermediate the ends thereof.

The foregoing arrangement of tension plates is well known in the art,but considerable difllculty has been encountered in the use of such anarrangement by reason of the adjusting screws, by means of which thesprings are held and positioned, being jarred to an extent sufficient tochange the adjustment thereof.

To avoid such a change of adjustment, there is provided in each sidewall of the threading block, an aperture 4| adjacent the aperture inwhich the spring screw 39 is threaded and overlapping the threadedportions thereof. In each of these apertures 4| there is mounted a plug42 of raw hide, vulcanized fibre, or other similar tough compact fibrousmaterial, which plug 42 is inserted after the threads have been cut inthe apertures in which the spring screws 39 are mounted, whereby thethreads of the screws 39 will imbed themselves in th fibrous plug 42,which will serve as effective brakes to prevent loss of adjustment ofsaid screws.

Iclaim:

1. An automatically threading loom shuttle having a threading block thebody portion of .which is made of a hard metal casting and provided witha thread channel extending longitudinally therethrough, said threadingblock having an integral thread retaining horn portion at the outer endthereof extending from one of the side walls of the body portion towardan extension of the other side wall thereof, said horn portion beingseparated therefrom at its free end by a thread entrance slot extendingdownwardly and forwardly and having opposed parallel faces disposed inplanes inclined to th longitudinal axis and to the vertical, said hornportion also having a downwardly extending lip at its free end, and theoppositely disposed portion of the side wall also having a downwardlyextending lip.

2. An automatically threading m huttle having a threading block the bodyportion of which is made of a hard metal casting and provided with athread channel extending longitudinally therethrough, said threadingblock havillg an integral thread retaining horn portion at the outer endthereof extending from one of the side walls of the body portion towardan extension of the other side wall thereof, said horn portion beingseparated therefrom at its free end by a thread entrance slot extendingdownwardly and forwardly and having opposed parallel faces disposed inplanes inclined to the longitudinal axis and to the vertical, said hornportion also having a downwardly extending lip at its free end, and theoppositely disposed portion of the side wall also having a downwardlyextending lip, said threading block also having another integral hornportion disposed intermediate the ends of said threading block andextending from one side wall toward the other, and being separated atits free end from said other wall by a thread entrance slot extendingvertically downward and having opposed parallel faces.

3. An automatically threading loom shuttle having a threading block thebody portion of which is made of a hard metal casting and provided witha thread channel extending longitudi nally therethrough, said threadingblock having an integral thread retaining horn portion at the outer endthereof extending from one of the side walls of the body portion towardan extension of the other side wall thereof, said horn portion beingseparated therefrom at its free end by a. thread entrance slot extendingdownwardly andf" forwardly and having opposed parallel faces disposed inplanes inclined to the longitudinal axis and to the vertical, said hornportion also having a downwardly extending lip at its free end,

and the oppositely disposed portion of the side wall also having adownwardly extending lip, said threading block also having at its outerend a transverse channel extending from the longitudi-f nal channel tothe side delivery eye of the shuttlef and a downwardly inclined lugportion below and forwardly of the horn portion serving to guide thethread into the transverse channel after the same has passed through thethread entrance slot and upon the return pick of the shuttle.

4. An automatically threading loom shuttle having a threading block thebody portion of which is made of a hard metal casting and provided witha thread channel extending longitudinally therethrough, said threadingblock having an integral thread retainin horn portion at the outer endthereof extending from one of the side walls of the body portion towardan extension of the other side wall thereof, said horn portion beingseparated therefrom at its free end by a thread entrance slot extendingdownwardly and forwardly and having opposed parallel faces disposed inplanes inclined to the longitudinal axis and to the vertical, said hornportion also having a downwardly extending hp at its free end, and theoppositely disposed portion of the side wall also having a downwardlyextending lip, said threading block also having another integral hornportion disposed intermediate the ends of said threading block andextending from one side wall toward the other, and being separated atits free end from said other wall by a thread entrance slot extendingvertically downward and having opposed parallel faces, said threadingblock also having at its outer end a transverse channel extending fromthe longitudinal channel to the side delivery eye of the shuttle, and adownwardly inclined lug portion below and forwardly of the horn portionserving to guide the thread into the transverse channel after thesamehas passed through the thread entrance slot and upon the return pickof the shuttle.

JOHN J. KAUFMANN, JR.

